


AzurrinWeek2018 Compilation

by AquosEvolved



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-08 06:16:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15924578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquosEvolved/pseuds/AquosEvolved
Summary: My entries for the AzurrinWeek2018 challenge. Tales of joy and grief, tales of family, tales of love and loss.





	1. Day 1 - Blessing/Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin gets in over his head and has to break an unspoken promise in order to keep himself and, more importantly, Azura alive.

     The din of battle rose over the shattered plains of Valla, loud and cacophonic. Wyverns roared and pegasi whinnied. The flow of battle had been completely disrupted and Corrin was too busy fighting for his life to make tactical calls. Even if he could, he, Azura, and the rest of his squad were surrounded on all sides so it’s not like they could retreat to a rally point anyway.

     A shuriken whistled past Corrin’s head to plant itself in a berserker’s shoulder, causing the watery apparition to stagger and give him an opening to deliver the ending blow. Unfortunately, for every enemy slain, two more seemed to take its place and his squad was being forced into a tighter and tighter formation.

     Corrin took a moment to rest as the Vallite forces shifted their formations. A delicate hand alighted on his upper back, between his shoulder blades, and a weary smile tugged at his lips as Azura’s song met his ears and filled his limbs with strength.

     He straightened himself and turned to smile at her. “Thank you, darling.” His smile quickly turned into a scowl and he shoved her out of the way of an incoming lance. “You won’t stop me!” He yelled in defiance. His veins pounded with the blood of dragons and his left hand went to his dragonstone to indulge in it and tear his enemy apart with a flurry of attacks that saw his sword flung backward over his head; that wasn’t going to be enough to stop him. His hands turned into giant claws that ripped and tore before unleashing a sphere of cyan energy that blasted right through his target before it burst, staggering a tight formation of soldiers caught in the wave that pulsed out.

     Sword or no, Corrin carried on forward; a sniper nailed through the chest by his lance arm here, a sorcerer torn to ribbons by his claws there. He steeped himself deeper and deeper into the carnage and the battlefield began to blur together. The only sign that he was not alone was the telltale bell-like ring of Azura’s Blessed Lance colliding with another weapon. She called out to him but her words were faint in comparison to the sound of the drumbeat of his own heart in his ears.

     A hand clamped down firmly on his shoulder to snap him from his battle trance and dread washed over him; they had been separated from the rest of their squad and were completely surrounded. What’s more, Alpha Yato was nowhere to be seen and he hadn’t thought to bring a backup sword with him.

      “Corrin, what in the names of the gods were you thinking?!” Despite the rage in her voice, Azura’s face was more one of concern and fear than one of anger.

      “I wasn’t.” He admitted readily. “You can yell at me for this as much as you want later but, for now, we need to focus on staying alive.” Corrin took a cautionary look behind them; they had about 15 feet between them and a sheer drop into blank white nothingness. On all other sides were the flickering legions of Valla.

     After a deep breath, Corrin flicked his crimson gaze from the enemy to the blue-haired woman at his side. A memory flashed through his mind and he shuddered. He didn’t want to go through with this but there were no other options left. “Azura, do you trust me?”

     “What are you planni-“

     “Do you trust me?” Corrin repeated the question, firmer this time.

     “With my life.” She answered.

     “I’m glad to hear that.” She couldn’t see it but his face lit up ever so slightly with a gentle smile; it would have been an ear to ear grin under normal circumstances but fighting to stay alive was not a normal circumstance. “I wouldn’t be able to do this if you didn’t.”

     Before Azura could properly formulate a question, Corrin’s hand returned to his dragonstone. The skirt of his armor was pushed up as his tail sprouted, then his feet started to elongate and darken. A sheen of blue light spread across his armor and grew brighter with each passing second before it exploded into a blinding supernova that faded as quickly as it came to reveal a massive dragon standing where a young man once did.

     Corrin used one of his long, spindly forelegs to pull Azura as close as possible. The moment his clawed hand touched her, he felt a shudder travel up her spine to escape through her mouth in a gasp. He hated being like this around her, but he didn’t have a choice. It was either this or death for both of them.

     He repositioned himself to curl his long, lithe body around her so he could drape one of his wings over her for protection while still having a wide range of attack with both his claws and his tail. No matter how the enemy threw themselves at him, he would not fail to keep her safe.

     With every enemy he raked with his claws, the memory of lashing out blindly in grief and almost killing Azura grew more and more vivid. Instead of causing him to balk like it normally would, recalling the memory only served to fuel his vicious protection of her. Whereas before, the dragon within him was nearly the cause of her death, it was now the only thing that stood between her and their enemy and he couldn’t be more grateful.

     When the battle ended, he would have some very important words for her, but not before receiving the scolding of a lifetime for the reckless behavior that landed them in this mess to begin with. Before any words could be exchanged, however, they needed to finish this fight.


	2. Day 2 - Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A voice that Corrin thought that he would never hear again comes back to haunt him on a sleepless night.

     “Corrin…” The young man in question stirred at the sound of his name being called. “Corrin.” The voice repeated with a little more urgency. He began to writhe uncomfortably where he laid.

     _Just ignore it and it’ll stop._ Corrin told himself, squeezing his eyes shut.

     “Corrin…” The voice called to him again. He tried desperately to drown it out but, as much as he wanted to, he also didn’t want to at all. That voice…that soft, heavenly voice. He missed it. He missed it so much that it put a hollow ache in his chest.

     Corrin clenched his hands until he could feel his sharp, claw-like nails bite into his palms. He winced and then his eyes flung open in sudden realization. “This isn’t a dream…” He muttered in quiet wonder.

      Slowly, he turned onto his back, sat up, and strained his eyes to peer through the darkness. His heart pounded in his chest to the point that he could hear the rush of blood in his ears. Over the sound of the blood in his ears, the voice called yet again. “Corrin…”

     Tentatively, he called back. “A-Azura...?” His voice quivered and was not more than a ghost of a whisper. He squinted, straining his eyes as much as he could. It was then that he noticed that the door to his bedroom had been slid open and he could just barely make out a silhouette standing in the opening.

     Corrin pushed his sheets and blankets off himself and swung his legs over the side of his Nohrian style bed. He moved slowly, terrified that any sudden movement might cause his beloved to disappear once more. His legs shook underneath him from the fear and anxiety that coursed through him and sent every hair on his body to stand on end. He took one step forward and the silhouette seemingly did the opposite.

     “Gods…Azura, is it really you?” Corrin had to make a mental effort to keep his voice down in addition to fighting back the tears that welled in his eyes out of a combination of fear, hope, and grief.

     “Yes…” The silhouette responded. “I’m home.”

     “Azura, I’ve missed you so much!” An exhausted and pained yet relieved smile pulled at the corners of Corrin’s mouth and tears began to stream down his face. He picked up his pace and padded towards the doorway as fast as he could without making any significant noise.

     “I’ve missed you too Corrin…” He could practically _hear_ the gentle smile on her face, which made her taking another step back when he moved to pull her into his arms all the more confusing. “Unfortunately, I don’t have much time.”

     “Don’t have much time? I-I don’t understand…” Corrin tried to hug her again but Azura began walking down the hall with her back to him.

     “There is something I have to show you. Follow me and stay quiet.” She didn’t even bother to look back.

     The two continued on in silence through the halls of Castle Shirasagi. Occasionally, Corrin tried to voice a question but the only answer he ever received was silence. More than once, he reached for her hand; all attempts failed.

     He had known Azura to be aloof in the past but rarely with him and never to this degree. The relief and joy he felt from their reunion quickly became tainted with dejected feelings and he became so engrossed in his own thoughts that he stopped paying attention to their surroundings. It was only when he felt stone under foot as opposed to wood or tatami that he started to pay attention again.

     “Azura, where are we going?” Corrin tried once more to break the silence. Finally, his persistence was rewarded.

     “It’s not much further. We must hurry.” Azura turned to look at him from over her shoulder for just a brief moment as they passed through one of the gates to the castle gardens.

     Sure enough, they came to a stop just a few minutes later; it was the lake that started everything between the two of them. The perfectly still water reflected the crescent moon and seemingly endless expanse of stars above.

     Azura turned to Corrin and began to wade backward into the water. She beckoned to him. “Come to me, my love. We’ll finally be able to be together again.” She stopped moving when the water came up to her waist but continued to beckon him to follow her.

     Corrin stared back in a motionless trance; the lake remained entirely undisturbed, still perfectly still. Azura beckoned once more and he gave in, beginning to wade into the lake himself. Ripples formed around his ankles and pulsed out to disrupt the mirror reflection of the sky above. For every step he took forward, she took one step back.

     The air was unnaturally still; stagnant, even, and it would have been oppressively silent as well were it not broken by the slow, gentle sloshing of Corrin wading in deeper and deeper. When he was in up to his waist, Azura stopped backing away. It was then that he first realized that something was amiss; it was hard to make out through the darkness, but the silver-haired man could have sworn that Azura…flickered.

     He could just barely make out her facial features through the dark of night but, for just one moment, there was a flicker. The only way it could be described would be to compare it to the lake around them; the reflection of the sky was distorted and broken by movement in the water.

     “There is not much time. Please, come to me…” Azura beckoned again but, this time, a few of her words came out distorted, as if Corrin heard them from underwater. Slowly, he began to back up towards the shore.

     “What is this…?” He dug his nails into his palm once more and felt pain once more; this still wasn’t a dream; if it wasn’t a dream, what was it? An illusion? A hallucination brought about by his tortured psyche?

     “Corrin. Come to me.” Azura beckoned once more but it didn’t sound like a gentle request like before. Her tone was sharper and more commanding than that – _aggressive,_ almost – and the underwater-sounding distortion was heavier. When Corrin shook his head, both as a gesture of rejection and out of disbelief, she waded back towards him.

     He remained motionless in some combination of horror, disbelief, and confusion; all the while, Azura crept closer and closer. The water around her was almost entirely still; it did not slosh and rock with her movements. Soon, she was close enough for him to see her face; there was another flicker. She reached for his hand and, at her clammy, ice-cold touch, he snapped from his trance and backed up even further towards the shore.

     When his heels connected with dry sand, he turned and began to run back to the castle. He did not know where this mockery of his fallen love came from, but he did not intend to find out. Whatever that was, he could hear it call out to him in that heavenly voice. He ignored how it made his chest ache with loneliness and didn’t dare to look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "After the war, Corrin disappeared from the public eye for months at a time. It's speculated that he spent the rest of his days in mourning over those he lost in the war."


	3. Day 3 - Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Stormy nights were meant for spending time with family, huddled together under a blanket to help each other feel warm and safe."

     Stormy nights were meant for spending time with family, huddled together under a blanket to help each other feel warm and safe. Unfortunately for King Corrin, this particular stormy night was spent alone in his study, pouring over a multitude of letters from disgruntled nobles. Each was more or less the same as the last; the common folk had not taken kindly to the rise in taxes in the far western reaches of the kingdom, close to the Vallite-Nohrian border. No less than half a dozen towns and villages were damaged in the ensuing riots.

     Some of the letters suggested he raise the taxes even further to help pay for the damages, others requested a show of military force to quell the rebellion; both were equally terrible ideas. With each additional reread of the letters that cluttered his desk, Corrin’s urge to toss every last one of them into the dying embers in the hearth behind him grew.

     The pitter-patter of tiny footsteps sounded out in the hall and it came as a welcome distraction. The King of Valla looked up from his desk just in time to watch the door to his study creak open to reveal a head of fluffy blue hair that he could just barely see over the top of his desk.

     Corrin pushed his chair away from his desk so he could embrace his son when he toddled up to him with his pegasus plush in hand. He leaned down to scoop the shivering boy into his arms and wipe away his tears.

     Shigure let out a quiet whimper and Corrin shushed him gently. _Stormy nights are meant for spending time with family._ He reminded himself. Spending time with family on stormy nights was especially important to him since his son was born, seeing as the boy hated thunderstorms.

     “Let’s go get in bed with Mama, okay?” Corrin offered as he stood up and adjusted his hold on the boy in his arms to hold him on his hip. The smile on his face grew when he felt Shigure nod against his shoulder and heard him let out a quiet agreeing hum.

     The silver-haired man blew out the sole candle on his desk and then set off on a gentle stroll of a pace out of his study and down the short corridor that connected it to the rest of the royal living quarters. A bright flash shone through the high arching windows and caused Corrin to subtly hold Shigure ever so closer to help him feel as safe as possible.

     The windows rattled slightly in their frames when the following thunderclap sounded. Shigure let out another whimper and his small hands clung to the fabric of his father’s tunic. Corrin started to gently rub the blue-haired boy’s back as they continued down the hall.

     A minute or two later, father and son arrived at the door to the castle’s master bedroom. On the other side, Azura could be found relaxing in bed with a book. Her golden eyes drifted up from the pages of the novel in her hands when the door creaked open and a smile pulled at her lips, her eyes alight with a quiet joy at the sight of her husband and son.

     “Hi, boys.” Azura greeted in a cheerful singsongy tone. She was in the midst of the fourth month of carrying her second child and she had become uncharacteristically giddy.

     “Hey, darling.” Corrin greeted in turn. He quickly crossed the room to plant a kiss on his queen’s lips before getting into bed beside her.

     As soon as he was in arms’ reach, Azura took her son from her husband’s arms and held him tightly. Lightning flashed outside the windows and, as a result, Shigure clung to his mother’s nightgown just as tightly.

     “Aww, it’s okay, Shiggy. Mama and Papa are here. It’s okay.” Azura cooed while she stroked her son’s hair. Thunder boomed outside, loud enough to rattle the windows and slightly shake the room. Shigure couldn’t take it anymore and began to wail in terror.

     “It’s okay. You’re okay. Mama’s still here, sweetie.” Azura cooed against her son’s hair between gentle shushes.

     “The storm’s not going to hurt you. Not while I’m here.” Corrin assured quietly. He huddled closer to hold his wife while she held Shigure, whose cries had died down enough to voice the simplest of questions.

     “P-pwomise?” The boy asked in a frail voice.

     “Promise. Not even your Uncle Ryoma or Uncle Xander can stop me so what chance does a storm have?” The King of Valla flexed dramatically and both his queen and their little prince giggled.

     Tears still occasionally fell down Shigure’s cheeks and he still shook like a leaf but with his parents there maybe, just maybe, he could brave the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had quite a bit of fun writing this.
> 
> Shigure would be 4 here, around 4 1/2.


End file.
